Fish-beheading device.



B. H. BRIERLY & E. H. WAUGH.

FISH BEHEADING DEVICE. I 4 APPLICATION FILED IAN. 26, |916.

Lm Paten-md Alm. I?, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

B. R.`BRIERLY 3L E. H. WAUGH.

rlsH B11-HEADING navlce.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 26, 1916- t Patented Apr.. 17,191?.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

. a. Emmy @L E. s-L www,

MSH BEHEADING DEVFCE.

APmlcmmn men JAN. as. ums.

Paiented APRE?, 1917.

4 SHEE'B'S-SHEET 3.

B. RLBRIERLY 6I E. H. WAUGH.

FISH BEHEADING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.26. 191s.

1.222.926., Patented Apr. 17, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET- 4.

j@ 6 gw P I Il' IL i n entran sranrnnr cierren.

I of the special features of this invention liesl BENJAMN' 1R. BRERLY AND :EDWARD H. VVAUGH, 0F SEATTLE, WASHENGGN, ASSIGN- @RS C@ SMETH GANNERY MACHINES COMPANY, F SEATTLE, WASHNGTGN, A 60H" POMTIGN 0F WASHINGTON.

lEISH-BEI-IEDENG DEVIGE.

Specification of Letters yatent.

Patented Apr. il?, with Application ed January 2G, 1.916. Serial "I.\To. 741,485.

.To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN R. BB1- -nRLY and'EDwAnD H. WAUGH, citizens of the `United States, and residents of the city ofA Vcleaning machines andwmore particularly to the mechanism employed in handling the fish duringthe beheading operation. One

in the combination of the beheading knife with a pin which is used for properly registering the fish, so as to automatically secure the proper relation between the position of the fish and the position occupied bythe knife. Other features of our invention relate to theapparatus forhandling the fish structlon.

inpresenting them to the beheading knife.

A principal object of our invention is to automatically secure a more perfect registering between the fish and the -beheading knife, whereby is secured the clean and complete removal of the gills andrenough of the .bony growth which lies immediately back of the gills to insure complete removal of the parts thereof to which the forward end of the entrails are secured and to open the forward end of the blood sac which lies along the back bone, so that this sac may be more easily and eectively cleaned out.

Uur invention consists of the novel parts and the combinations thereof which will be particularly defined in`y the claims.

fn the accompanying drawings we have shown our invention embodied in the forms of construction which are now most preferred by us.

Figure l illustrates our invention as applied to one particular type of shl dressing machine.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same type of apparatus.

F-ig. 3 is a diagrammatic figure illustrating the manner in which our improvement acts upon the fish in beheading the same.

' Fig. i is a side view of the knife and reg istering. pin as shown in the precedingfig ures.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of,the beheading knife and the parts which cooperate withl this during the act of removing the fish head.

Fig. f3 shows in plan view a similar type ofknife but with the sh registering pin mounted separately from the knife. Y

Fig. is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a similarelevation, but taken from a view at right angles to that ofFig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an elevation of amodified form of construction in which the fish registering ypins are mounted upon an endless movable belt or chain.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the apparatus for presenting the fish to the knife and for discharging the beheaded fish therefrom in the orm of construction now most preferred y us.

Fig. 1l is an .elevation of the 'same con- Fig. l2 is an end view of the same mechanism viewed from the left hand end of the device as shown in Figs. 10 and ll.

Fig. 13 is adetail showing in top view a fish placed on the presenting mechanism.

Fig. 11i is a detail showing a side view of the same parts.

The type of knife herein illustrated is, in general, of the same type as that which has previously been employed for like service.

rfhe main portion of the blade l is of concave or rounded cross section, as is clearly shownin Fig. 5. The cutting edges l() and 11 converge to a point. Where the hife is although if the relative movement between the knife and the fish was in a straight line the axis of the knife would correspondingly become a straight. line.

in Figs. l to 9 inclusive we have shown the knife as applied to a' fish dressingapparatus, wherein the relative movement between the knife and fish is anarc of a circle.

In theseligures the longitudinal axis of the tion of the beheading movement. The knife the gills to the edge of the fish.'4

We have found in the practical use of a knife of this character, that while it effectively severs 'the head from the fish, it at times fails to satisfactorily cut far enough back of the bony growth which extends along the rear margin of the fish gills.

l When this happens it is necessary to have this edge trimmed by hand, and it is our present desire to insure that this bony growth and all parts attached thereto including the gills and the forward attachment of the entrails, be removed with certainty by the same apparatus which removes the head of the fish. Toinsure this, we have employed a fish` registening pin which secures uniform and accurate] positioning of the fish and have so located this with relation to the path of movement of the cutting edge of the knife that the cutting edge of the knife will pass immediately to the rear of the gills. @ne reason why the thorough removal of this bony or gristly growth which borders the rear margin of the gills is so desirable', is that the fish gullet is secured thereto and unless this gristly or bony growth is removed, a fragment of the gullet is left and must be removed by hand. Further, a clean removal of this gristly growthr self, while in the remaining figures the corresponding pin has beenshown as separate from the knife. We will first describe the type of construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive.

In this type of construction the pin 2 is curved to correspond with the arc of curvature which is produced, 'eitherjby the movement of the knife in such cases where the knife rotates and the fishA are stationary,.or

' the arc of movement of the fish in such cases lwhere the knife is stationary and the fish rare moved through a curved arc to the knife. In the type of construction shown in Figs. 1

I and 2 the latter condition exists, that is, the

recesses 30 into each ofvwhich a sh is placed. The end face of this drum is provided with curved grooves conforming to the curvature of the knife so that the cutting edge of the knife is brought into close registry with the edge of the fish holding drum.

The fish registering pin 2 is intended to enter and pass through the gills ofthe fish. Its point is not made sharp orof such ,a character as to pierce the fish, but rather of a rounded or dull character, so that it will not readily pierce the fish. The sfish are placed in the drum. 3 in such position as to bring the gills into approximate registry with the curved edge 31 which coperates .with the knife.

The finger 2 is slightly off-set from the cutting edge of the knlfe, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3. The reason for this is that the finger 2 is intended to enter the gill openings and the cutting is desired sufficiently in the rear of the gill openings to insure complete removing of the gills and the bony or gristly growth which extends along the rear margin thereof. If the fish has not been placed by hand in the exact position the gill openings. The knife is then passed close along :the side, edge of -the pins. In the construction shown in Figs. 6, 7 and b the knife 1 is mounted upon a rotating shaft 4 and the fish'are placed 4upon a stationary table 5. In this constructionthe pin 22 isl Amounted uponY an arm 23 whichhas an olflSet end 245i from. which the lworking part 22 of the pin extends upwardly. AThis construction is necessitated in order to provide a' suitably shaped recess for the passage of the knife.

, In the construction shown in Fig. 9 the pins 26 are mounted upon, an endless traveling belt 27, a stationary table 5 being used and the knife 1l rotating with the shaft 4.

In the constructions shown in'Figs. 10 to 14 the pnsare mounted uponan endless traveling belt and the knife is fixed. kThe .knife is also placed within that portion of the travel of the belt or chain 27, which is straight, therefore the'axisv of the knife is straight. Also the power for effecting the cutting is .communicated through the chain belt.4

The'belt travels over a table or plane 5 and has bars 6 secured thereto and projecting upward enough. to provide a support and transporting member forI the fish. These bars also have fingers 60 secured to one end and bent in such manner that they first extend over the top of the' knife l and then down close alongside the outer surface of the knife, as is clearly shown in Fig. 14. These furnish a firm support for the fish head. The curvature of the outer lend of `of the knife and the registering pins 20 is clearly shown in Fig. i3. The knife edge is enough inward fromthe pin to insure clean and complete removal of the gristly inner margin of the gills, taking with it the gullet attachment.

After the fish passes the knife and as it passes with the chain about the upper sprocket wheels 52, the fish engages the yielding or spring guiding fingers 8 which turn it down upon its back upon the rollers 7 which guide it to the cleaning mechanisms. The rollers 7 are driven through connected gears 70.

By the use of the fishregistering or positioning pins, as shown, the accurate presentation of the fish to the beheading knife is insured. In consequence the beheading cutwill be at the same point for all fish and this point may be determined by the space existing between the cutting edge of the knife and the pin, to insure clean removal of the gullet attachment and therefore a clean removal of the intestines.

' What We claimfas our invention is:

1.l In a fish dressing apparatus, in combination, a beheading knife, means for producing relative movement of the knife and the fish to behead the fish and a registeringpin carried by one of said mechanisms and adaptedto enter the fish gills in advance of the action of the knife'to thereby correctly register the fish With the knife.

2. The combination with a fish dressing apparatus, of registering pins adapted to enter the fish gills in' advance of the action of the knife to thereby register the fish withl the knife. y

3. In a fish dressing apparatus, the combination with'. a beheading knife having a cross-sectional outline conforming in thel main to the outline of the fish gills, of a fishregistering pin adapted to enter the fish gills and located at the concaved side of the knife.

4. In a fish dressing apparatus, the combination with a beheading knife of a fishregistering pin located at the side of the knife which lies toward the fishs head.

5. In a sh dressing apparatus, the combination with a beheading knife of a fish-registering pinpositioned to enter the fishs gills nation with a beheadin vknife having inclined cutting edges meetlng to form a point, of a fish-registering pin positioned to lie close alongside the path of travel of the cutoperation.

7. In a fish dressing apparatus, the combination with a beheading knife, of means for accurately registering the fish comprisinga ting edge of the knife, during the beheading 7 registering pin adapted to 'enter the gills of the sh. A

8. In a fish dressing apparatus, the combination with a beheading knife andmeans for maintaining it in a fixed working position, of a fish-registering pin adapted to enter the fish gills and maintained in a position slightly removed laterally of the "cutting edges of said knife.

9. A fish beheading device comprising a beheading knife', fish carrying means, a lregistering pin, carried by the fish carrying means and adapted to enter the fishs gills and means for producing relative movement between thefish carrylng means and the knife to carry the knife and pin close alongside each other inthe direction of the length of the pin.

10. A fish presenting apparatus for fish dressing machines comprising a pair of endless chains, bars transversely connecting `said chains land serving as means for adbars, then recurved outwardly and back toward the chain, and a fish registering pin carried bythe outer end of, said latter bar and extending in the direction of the movement of the chain.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 27th day vof December, 1915.v

' BENJAMIN n. Barnard?.

nnvvann n. wanen.

6. .In a fish dressing apparatus, the combi-v 

